And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this?.... Notwithstanding such an appearance of an angel to him, which in those times was not so usual, and this in the holy place; and the things themselves which were told him, and these as the return of prayer; yet he distrusted, and wanted a sign, whereby he might know the truth of them, as the Jews were generally desirous of, and as the father of them was; who expressed himself in much such language, on a certain occasion, as this his son did; see Gen 15:8. For I am an old man; at least sixty years of age; for with the Jews, sixty years were reckoned, "for old age" (w); and a man of these years, was accounted an old man: and the Jewish Rabbins observe (x), that the word for old age in Job 30:2 is by "gematry, sixty"; that is, the letters of the word, numerically make so much. The Mahometan writers, as before observed on Luk 1:7 make him to be ninety nine years of age: he was not discharged from service; the Levites were at fifty, but not the priests; blemishes, as the Jewish writers say (y), made them unfit for service, but years did not: and even the law concerning the Levites, they say (z), only respected the time they carried the sanctuary from place to place, and not future generations; and that they are disqualified neither by blemishes, nor by years, only by voice, for singing of the song; but then they might be among the porters; so that they were not on that account laid aside from all service: and my wife well stricken in years. The Mahometan writers, as before, say, she was "eighty nine"; a like objection Abraham made, though he afterwards got over it, and was strong in faith, giving glory to God, believing in his power and faithfulness; see Gen 17:17. (w) Misn. Abot, c. 5. sect. 21. & Maimon. in ib. (x) R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 24. 2. (y) T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 24. 1. (z) Maimon. Hilch. Cele Hamikdash, c. 3. sect. 8.